1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an endoscope system in which a cover type endoscope used with an endoscope cover being mounted and an endoscope used without an endoscope cover being mounted, are selectively connectable.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, an endoscope has widely been used in both the medical art and industrial art fields. For example, an endoscope which is used in the medical art field has an inserting section which is inserted into a body cavity so as to be able to observe internal organs, or which uses a disposition or treatment instrument or tool inserted into a treating-instrument channel in the endoscope, so as to be able to perform various types of medical care or treatment. For this reason, in an endoscope system, various peripheral devices or units for endoscope inspection have been used in accordance with objects and uses of inspection.
In an endoscope system which includes peripheral units for endoscope inspection which are used for various objects and uses, it becomes much more an important or serious problem not only in that the endoscope system is useful for the insertion, but also in how it is possible to reduce the cost of inspection. Particularly, in the medical art field, reduction of medical cost is a great problem. Until now, various proposals have been introduced for reduction in inspection cost.
For example, restraint in unit or device purchase cost is one proposal for reduction of inspection cost.
A CCD which is arranged at a forward end of an inserting section of an electronic endoscope which projects a color endoscope image on a screen of a monitor unit has conventionally had two systems including a surface sequential type and a concurrent or simultaneous type. The CCD of the surface sequential type is adequate for observing fine lesion parts, because it is possible to produce an image having high resolution. The CCD of the simultaneous type is adequate for observation of internal organs which performs peristalsis, because the CCD of the simultaneous type can produce an image which has less blurring. For this reason, in a case where a user who has different endoscope systems uses the endoscopes properly in accordance with an inspection object, it has been required to prepare systems which include not only the endoscopes of two systems, but also video processors which are respectively adapted to the systems.
In view of the above, in order to solve the above-discussed problem, a video processor which copes with both the surface sequential type and the concurrent type is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,853,773. There is no necessity to purchase a system including separate video processors which cope or correspond respectively with or to the systems. Thus, the unit purchase cost of the user can be reduced, and a space of an inspection room can effectively be utilized, because it is sufficient with a single video processor and a single accompanying or attendant system.
Further, as another proposal for reduction in the inspection cost, there is one in which the number of uses of the endoscope per one day increases so that an inspecting cost is reduced.
Generally, in a case where an endoscope which has been used once for inspection and treatment within a body cavity is again used for the other patients, disinfection chemicals, or an ethylene oxide gas must be used to perform washing or cleaning and disinfection of the endoscope after completion of the inspection and the treatment, in order to prevent infection from occurring between the patients through the endoscope. However, since about one hour is required to sufficiently disinfect the endoscope, which is provided with very small lines, the cleaning and disinfection time becomes a dead time. When it is assumed that the inspecting time per use is about five (5) hours, only four (4) persons can be inspected per a single day by a single endoscope, if it is assumed that the endoscope inspecting time per one every fifteen (15) minutes.
In order to solve the above-discussed problem, if a plurality of endoscopes are prepared, and if the endoscopes which have been cleaned and disinfected are used during the cleaning and disinfection time, inspection of twenty (20) persons per five (5) hours is made possible by subsequent use of five (5) endoscopes when the inspecting time is fifteen (15) minutes and the cleaning time is one (1) hour. In this case, however, there occurs a problem that the purchase of five (5) endoscopes is required.
In view of the above, U.S. Pat. No. 4,646,722 has proposed a throwaway or disposable endoscope sheath (hereinafter referred to as "endoscope cover"). The endoscope cover is arranged such that the endoscope cover covers an endoscope inserting section before inspection, an endoscope covered by the endoscope cover is inserted into a body cavity, the endoscope cover which has covered the endoscope inserting section is discarded after completion of the inspection and treatment, and a new endoscope cover is used to cover the endoscope and is left in place for subsequent inspection. By the use of the endoscope cover, it is possible to bring the cleaning and disinfection time (one hour) to a cover replacement or exchange time of only ten (10) minutes. Specifically, since twenty-five (25) minutes, which is the sum of the endoscope inspecting time of fifteen (15) minutes and the cover replacement time of ten (10) minutes, forms a single cycle, it is possible to perform inspection of twelve (12) persons per five (5) hours by only a single endoscope. Thus, it is possible to considerably reduce the endoscope inspecting cost per use.
However, in a case where the above-described disposable endoscope cover is applied to all of the endoscope inspections, the cost of the endoscope cover is generated every inspection, and it is not preferable in view of environmental maintenance or preservation to treat the endoscope cover as industrial waste or refuse. Thus, it has been desired to reduce the industrial waste even in a minor way.
In view of the above, we proposed that, in order to make an attempt to reduce the inspection cost, two types of endoscopes including an endoscope which is reused while being cleaned and disinfected without the endoscope cover being mounted (hereinafter referred to as "reusable type endoscope") and an endoscope which is used with an endoscope cover being mounted thereon (hereinafter referred to as "cover type endoscope") are suitably combined with each other so as to be used in inspection.
Specifically, the cover type endoscope is used twice in a dead time in which the reusable type endoscope is cleaned and disinfected, whereby a field of practical use of the reusable type endoscope which is low in running cost can be formed. Further, the endoscopes of two types are suitably combined with each other, whereby thirteen (13) persons can be inspected for about five (5) hours, and the number of uses of the endoscope cover can be reduced to 2/3. Thus, it is possible to cope with inspection cost and an environmental problem.
However, in an endoscope system for performing endoscope inspection, peripheral tools or equipment and materials for endoscope inspection such as a light source unit, a video processor, a fluid control unit, treatment equipments, forceps plugs, mouth pieces, or inserting auxiliary equipment are required in addition to an endoscope.
For this reason, in the reusable type endoscope system, it is assumed that cleaning and disinfection of the endoscope are carried out in every case. Thus, various devices or contrivances are carried out in order to improve detachable workability or operability between the endoscope and the peripheral equipment for the endoscope. Accordingly, the structure is complicated and is large-sized. Elements or members which can be born against repeated use are used in a treating-equipment inserting channel into which a treatment equipment is inserted, and a forceps-plug detachable or mounting and demounting portion.
Meanwhile, in the cover type endoscope system, since the number of mounting and demounting cycles between an endoscope body and peripheral equipment for endoscope inspection decreases drastically, simplification, small-sizing and reduction in cost are desired more than improvement in the mounting and demounting operability. Accordingly, it becomes a preference or priority problem to reduce the cost and to reduce, in outer diameter, the inserting section more than durability to alleviate a burden of a patient.
In this manner, in the conventional endoscope system, the structure of the peripheral equipment for endoscope inspection, which are used in the reusable type endoscope system, and the structure of the peripheral equipment for endoscope inspection, which are used in the cover type endoscope system, are arranged respectively under the original or unique backgrounds. Accordingly, in order to use both types of endoscopes together, in single-day inspection, it has been required to correspondingly replace or exchange also the peripheral equipment for endoscope inspection together with the endoscope. Thus, in a case where a replacement time of these equipments is also taken into consideration, an operational method in which the cover type endoscope is used in the dead time in which the reusable type endoscope is cleaned and disinfected, has been very difficult in actuality.